Kereke bail hearing deferred

Chief Court Reporter
Former Bikita West legislator Munyaradzi Kereke will have to wait a little longer after the High Court yesterday deferred hearing his application for bail pending appeal to Tuesday.

Kereke is serving a 10-year jail term for raping his 11-year-old niece.

Justice Happias Zhou postponed the hearing to next week to allow the private prosecutor Mr Charles Warara to file his response.

“We could not file our response on time. We want to make a comprehensive response. We need sufficient time for that,” said Mr Warara.

Through his lawyer Advocate Thabani Mpofu instructed by Mutandiro and Chitsanga, Kereke filed an application for bail pending appeal at the High Court on Wednesday.

He argued that his chances of success on appeal were bright.

The former legislator is offering to deposit $2 000 with the Harare magistrate’s court, surrender title deeds of a single immovable property and passport to the clerk of court.

In addition, he is also willing to continue residing at number 12 St Andrews, Hatfield in Harare, until the finalisation of the appeal and would accept any other stringent conditions, which the court may want imposed.

Adv Mpofu also stated in the bail application that the imposition of appropriate conditions would ensure that his client is tied down to the country.

“Such conditions, must bear on the surrender of title deeds, passport and the imposition of a healthy reporting regime,” he stated.

“Applicant was whilst appearing before the magistrate’s court not incarcerated and cooperated well with the law enforcement machinery.”

Adv Mpofu further stated that Kereke had also known for long that he was facing these serious charges but never did anything to put himself beyond the reach of the law.

Regional magistrate Mr Noel Mupeiwa, sentenced Kereke to 14 years behind bars but set aside four years for five years on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within that period.

The court, however, acquitted him on charges of indecently assaulting the victim’s elder sister.

Kereke still insists that the charges he was convicted of were fabricated by the complainants’ maternal grandparents after he refused to pay their school fees arrears, but Mr Mupeiwa said at the time the case was reported to the police, the arrears had already been settled.